Opening The Bird Cage A YJ Robin POV Fan Fiction
by OfficiallyWhelmed
Summary: So I thought I'd write a fan fiction but realized something: ALL OF THEM ARE THE SAME! Third person, don't show too much feeling about what their thoughts are! So I thought, hell, I act like Dick Grayson, why not be him? So I'm writing a story in his point of view from Young Justice. This is about season one Robin!
1. Chapter 1

I balance myself out between the two rings, the sweat dripping down my face. I can hear the loud thunder and rain hitting the large mansion. So many people still outside, facing the cold liquid hitting them.

Taking a deep breath, I clear my mind and keep one thought in my mind: If I can make this move work, if they didn't fall because of the messed up wires, because of him, Mom and Dad wouldn't have died. It won't be my fault anymore. Exhaling, I turn my boddy upward and start to flip again.  
Come on Dick. For once you will get this right. The weight will be lifted from your shoulders.

The sound of their breaking bones will no long haunt me in the dead of the night, invading my sleep.

Leaping off the rings, I shut my eyes for a moment, knowing where the black stand was. Everything is going in slow motion, but in my mind it's a fast highway.  
In the blackness of my mind, an outstretched arm with no body appears, and there was the voice again.

"Dick!

Slowly the arm inches away into the dark mind and my feet hit the stand. Without being able to catch myself, I tumble off. Once my back feels the impact of the floor, the breaking bones are back, echoing through the silence.


	2. Chapter 2

"Master Dick, are you quite sure you're alright?" Alfred looks over my shoulder while I push food around on my plate. "This is your favorite dish. Does is not suit your taste today, sir?"  
I chuckle a little bit, forcefully taking a bite. I feel it slither down my throat. You know when you're so consumed by thoughts that even food tastes like paste? Yeah, it's that feeling.  
I look up Alfred with a mouth full of food and give him a childish smile. "Thank you Alfred," I reply with a muffled voice. Swallowing my food, I look back down at my plate. It's really good, it's fine. I just think I trained too much and need to lie down. Could I do that?" I tilt my head to the side. Alfred stares at me for a moment and sighs. "Usually I would not but today shall be an exception." I grin at him and spring up from my chair and start jogging down the hall to my room. "But do not expect it to be like this much more, Master Dick!" He shouts down the hallway.

I clasp my hands onto the end of my dresser and stare into the mirror, watching my face lose the happy act. I glare at myself angrily and hit my fist against the surface.  
I had down it again, made myself know that I couldn't do it. I can do many things that are so much more complicated. But this one stunt haunts me.

I thought of her last words, her arm. And that made all the difference in that one stunt.

Walking over to my bed, I fling myself on it, looking up at the cieling with a deep sigh. Gotham was strangely quiet tonight. Bruce was probably out defending the city. Tonight is my night off. But... just in case...

My feet hit the ground with a thud and I take a disk from my bild, shooting it at the door handle on my balcony. It wraps around it and i pull it shut. My cape rustles loudly behind me as I start off toward the center of the city. Just for some midnight roof hopping before the first day of school tomorrow.

I'm a sophomore now. Sadly no one will jnow of Robin, just Dick. Now that Artemis left for another town, and so did the others. Now it was just me. But my nights as Robin and my days as Dick are two different things to me.

My pace starts to slow when I reach the edge of a building. I shoot my grappling hook onto the edge of it to pull myself up on to the roof. This was my favorite kind of night. WHen the light rain makes your hair a bit damp, where the cold wind chills your skin, making it feel like you're just bones. The perfect time for roof jumping.

When I can forget about past events.  
The only time I can be Dick Grayson on the inside when I look like Robin.

After an hour or two of running, saving people from being mugged, girls from being kidnapped, Gotham becomes quiet, and I finally sit down, my legs over the side of a tall building, eating the pizza I was rewarded with.  
Taking a bite, I lean back and steady myself up with one hand, pizza in the other. I'm sure Wally would be doing this job for as long as he could if everytime he helped someone he got something nice to eat.

"Dick! Wasn't sure I'd see you till next year!"  
A voice I'd always known since I was younger. I sit up and turn around, her dark red hair and brilliant smile makes the end of my lips turn up.

"Babs. What are you doing here?" I ask as she walks over to me to sit down. I thought she had already left the city. "Well, she starts laughing, looking at me with a kind stare, " I wanted to go around Gotham a little bit tonight before I leave with a few friends. But don't worry kid, I'll be back," she smiles at me. When Babs was at her best, she was so nice, less cold.  
"But really, I must go," she sighs. We both stand up together and she brings me into a hug. "You should sleep. You have school tomorrow." I start to snicker and look at her with a smirk. "I can wake up. But I'm really gonna miss you Babs." She nods slowly back. "I'll miss you too, Dick. Goodbye." I give her one last smile and start to turn, but she grabs my hand and puls me back to face her.

In one swift movement, she moves her head forward and presses her lips to mine. Once she lets go, my eyes are wide open and staring at her crazily. "Bye bye now, Bird Boy Blunder." She blows me a kiss, and I watch her run away.


	3. Chapter 3

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
_I groan as I slam my hand onto my alarm clock. One of these days I'm going to break it like I do to them every school year.

And I can tell this is going to be a long school year of being shunned. Just do my school work, make sure guys think I'm a geek, girls drool over me. It's not what I wanted to live now, but it was when I was nine. Wake up, go to school, do work, and be Robin.

I make it to the end step and sit down for breakfast, looking into my spoon to see my face. My hair slicked back, my uniform on nicely. I looked just like Dick Grayson, student at Gotham Academy.

Now I just have to act like him.

Bruce comes downstairs, accompanied by Alfred as another maid sets the table, lying a plate of eggs in front of me.  
"Looking sharp, Dick. Ready for school?" Bruce asks as he sits across from me. I fake a smile. "Oh hell yes, away from hero work and getting pushed around by bullies was really on my agenda today. Love it," I roll my eyes.

"Master Dick, it's already 6:15. You're ready, I presume?" Alfred asks. I check my watch in shock and eat my eggs quickly. "Thank you!" I say with my mouth full and bow my head at them. Grabbing my backpack off the chair, I run outside to my limo ride to school. "Remember if they fight you, you can't fight back!" Bruce yells. "Don't blow your cover!"

The limo door opens and I step out slowly. People whisper all around. No one had ever really bullied me before Babs and Artemis left. But now it was just me.

I enter the school and find my schedule along the long tables. And my classes were quite easy. I got to stay in the building for most of the day, then go to another building later. Walking outside would do me good.

"Dick!" a voice yells. I turn around smiling, seeing Dean. My best friend at school, now that the others had gone their own ways.  
"Where have you been all summer, man? You said we'd hang out!" he pouts. I'm silent for a moment, thinking back when I had seen all the missed calls from him. It was the first time I had checked my phone in weeks. So many voicemails from him asking to meet up with him. But of course I couldn't, considering I was on long trips with the team on missions. If I answered the phone, what would I say? Besides, there was no signal in the cave anyways.  
"Sorry man," I shrug, "I was out of town. Phone broke." It was easy to lie to him about this kind of stuff. But ultimately I hated doing it. He nods slowly and looks up at me with a grin. "Hey, I've never been to your house and you've never been to mine!" My eye twitches. I know where he's going with this. "Maybe some other time, dude. I've got stuff to do today," I reply with a frown. Dean becomes sad for a moment but regains his smile. "Yeah, next time! Now, what's your first class?"

It turns out we were in the same class. It means no one would torment me this year in first hour. Dean was popular. No one would touch me.  
We sit together in the back of the class and watch everyone chat and scream about seeing each other. A few girls come up to him and giggle. I made that sound like only two or three girls came up to him. Make that most of them.

The teacher comes in and introduces us to AP Psych, what we'll be learning. The study of the mind. I feel like I shouldn't be in this class, but it could be interesting enough. But hey, college credit. Not as if I'll need it though.

Just as the teacher starts to tell us an example about what we'll learn, the door bursts open, and the classroom goes completely silent, all heads to the door.  
"Ah, Miss. Regulus. Late, I see." The teacher looks at her clipboard and checks something off. The girl's deep, fast breath becomes louder. "But it's my first day!" The teacher clicker her tongue and averts her eyes up a bit. "It's everyone's first day. You're a sophomore. No excuses." The girl clutches her text book to her chest and shakes her head. "But I'm a new student to the academy! A transfer. Here on a scholarship. I'll get kicked out if I get a tardy on my first day!" The teacher groans and turns to her. "Miss. Regulus, if you do not get into your seat and accept your tardy, I will personally-"

"I'll take her tardy," I stand up out of my seat. Everyone's eyes turn to me and so does the girl's. I look straight at her, my eyes kind. _Another tardy can't hurt me, _I think to myself. I wish she could hear me.  
"Mr. Grayson," the teacher takes her attention off the girl and turns her body towards me. "You do understand that if you do this, two more and you will have an after school detention." I nod with a sweet smile. "Yes, but I promise not to be. But I have forgotten to tell you I get an excused tardy every Tuesday morning from Mathletes. So, if you would on this beautiful Tuesday morning excuse my newly given tardy, letting the new girl sit safely in the seat next to mine?"

The teacher looks dumbfounded, the whole class starts to cackle. I stick out my hand behind me and Dean high-fives me.  
"Very well, Mr. Grayson, it seems you have out-smarted me. You are excused. Miss. Regulus, please go to the back seat beside Richard." The teacher blushes and pushes her glasses up. The girl nods and hurries to the seat next to mine. Right as she sits, she lays her head down on her text book and let's her hair fall forward, her head a brunette mess.

_No thank you?_ I question in my mind. I turn to Dean with a confused look. He shrugs and mouths, '_Don't worry, it's no big deal.'_ I nod and listen to the teacher.

I don't know why, but psychotic people amuse me. And scare me. Mostly because of the Joker, but other then that, their stories are interesting. Everyone in the class yawns, half are asleep, but the girl and I are wide awake, listening full-heartedly.

The bell rings and I don't even notice until Dean taps my shoulder. "What's the note say?" he asks, pointing at my bookbag on the table. "No idea. Who's it from?" I pick it up and examine it. "The new chick. She threw it and ran."  
Unfolding the paper, I move to the side, struggling so Dean can't read it.

_ Dick,_

_ Thank you for doing that for me._

_ But know that I usually do not take pity from people._

_ -Lana Regulus_

I glare at it for a bit and fold it back up. Just a thank you would have been fine. But I'm suppose for a kid like me, no one wants help unless I'm Robin.  
"Come on man. Time for the next ay. butsix hours." Dean pulls me out of my seat and we're out the door.

The half day flies by like a breeze. But with the note clutched into my hand, everytime I remembered it I would grow more and more frustrated. I could have gotten in trouble for her because I didn't want her to lose her hard-earned scholarship for no reason.

And just seeing her in my gym class just made me more angry. Sixth hour, no Dean, and ten other people. And what luck do I have? We're attendance partners. Just because we were the only two paying attention.

We stand under the basketball net together silently. I don't even bother looking at her. But I can feel her eyes on me. She is scared, you can tell from her foot tapping and her sharp breaths. But I don't blame her. It's her first day. But now I have no sympathy. I would if she had have been a bit nicer to me and our tardy incident.

I give up and sit down, leaning against the wall. I prop one leg up and leave my arm on it, rubbing underneath my chin. She watches as everyone sits but stands by herself. But she's not the only one standing.  
The teacher's not in the room. That means there is someone else.

"Grayson, this is going to be another great year." I hear the familiar crackle as he breaks his knuckles. Usually I would stand and walk away by now, but I doubt he'd do anything. The teacher would be back.

"Yeah, Shane," I sigh, "of you beating me up everyday? It's gonna be a blast. For you." Shane glares at me with the same snarl as always. He starts to charge now when she actually says something.

"Stop!" he turns his attention to her and she is standing up tall, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Please. Leave."  
Shane grows a wide smirk on his face and starts walking towards her. She twitches her eye and takes a small step backwards. He drapes an arm over her shoulder and Lana starts to squirm but he's got such a tight grip on her that she's whimpering. This is when I start to stand.

"Oh, so Grayson's got a girlfriend?" he messes up the top of her head and she snarls. "He's not my boyfriend. Just don't pick on him. He's a weak kid." Shane looks back at me and grins. "Exactly. That's why I'm going to hurt you instead."

And I lost it.  
Charging at him, I jump up, kicking him in the stomach. He stumbles back and she lunges forward, falling to her knees. Shane starts to stand as I come back to the wall. "Wow, Dick, didn't know you had so much skill," he starts to run, his fist drawn back.

"Okay, so explain to me again how you got suspended on your first day of school?" Wally shouts as he punches the last guy in the alley. I tie up their hands and feet together and start to laugh a bit. It was nice when Wally came to visit Gotham. In one moment, two of the men were gone. The next, all the rest. Wally appears in front of me smiling. "You're starting to turn out just like me!"

We both climb onto the roof and sit down to explain. "Beat up a kid. He was coming at me though!" I fold my arms. "In my mind and Batman's, it was self defense." Wally nudges my shoulder with a grin. "So? What was the winning move?" I start to laugh again. Wally always made me feel better. "I flipped off the wall, kicked him in the face. Suspended, both of us, for two days.

We sat for a while, looking at the lights of Gotham and the cars. Finally he asks another question. "What was your motive? You never fight anyone from school." I twiddle my fingers. "Nothing," I lie, "He was just bothering me." Her face flashes before my eyes.

She'd warm up to me.

Soon.


End file.
